The administration of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has vowed to file a lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in response to the raid on the library on Sunday.
Around two in the morning on Sunday, officers from Lagos Zone 2 invaded the venue, detained ninety-three young people, and confiscated eighteen vehicles and mobile devices during a Wet & Rave Splash Extravaganza party at the OOPL, Rounda fun area.
During the nighttime attack, some young people frantically sought safety, as shown in a widely shared video.
A statement published by the EFCC on its official X account claims that the raid was carried out in response to credible information regarding the young people’s alleged involvement in online crimes.
The Managing Director of OOPL Ventures, Vitalis Ortese, responded to the incident by saying in a statement that newsmen were able to obtain that the operatives stormed the facility with more than fifty armed men brandishing firearms and threatening to kill people.
He regretted that the invasion, spearheaded by a single “Olapade,” resulted in pandemonium and fear, causing participants who were attempting to flee the shooting to suffer severe injuries.
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Ortese said the action was a glaring and obvious breach of the rights of the people who attended the event, a clear example of invasion of private property, and an infringement of OOPL’s rights as a corporate citizen.
According to the statement, “A Gestapo-like gang of over 50 armed men, posing as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), invaded the OOPL premises this morning at around 2 a.m., while brandishing firearms and threatening to kill people.”
The invasion, spearheaded by a single ‘Olapade,’ created a great deal of commotion and fear among the locals, resulting in severe injuries to those attempting to flee the ensuing shooting and near-carnage.
“After being contacted by phone, the ‘Olapade’ told Mr. Vitalis Ortese, the Managing Director of the OOPL establishment, that they were responding to an intelligence report on a private event in the complex’s amusement facility. Additionally, they notified management that the police had been properly notified of the operation.
It should be mentioned that although the event was private, it had been heavily publicized for days beforehand. It should also be mentioned that the police officers assigned to the OOPL gates and the additional officers dispatched from the Kemta Police Station at the request of the event organizers and management claimed they were not aware of any EFCC-planned operations and did not produce a warrant.
And OOPL security and accompanying police officers only said, ‘We are doing our job,’ when confronted by the armed individuals.
“Management wants to clarify that this EFCC action is a blatant violation of the rights of the people who came to the event, a clear case of invasion of private property, and an infringement of OOPL rights as corporate citizens.”
In addition, the statement said that the invasion was still being investigated and called on the EFCC officials to provide an explanation and an apology for violating its and the people’s rights.
It warned legal action if the anti-graft body did not provide the apology and explanation.
In the meanwhile, management requests that the commission explain these egregious acts and that the EFCC authorities apologize for violating its rights, as well as to everyone who attended and those who suffered severe injuries as a result of the gangster-like mayhem.
“Failure for which the management will be compelled to seek redress and sanctions as appropriate,” the statement continued.
